Addressing Concerns About Blue-Green Algae

IDEM began blue-green algae sampling the week of June 17th and will end the week of August 26th. The designated swimming beaches at the following areas will be sampled monthly unless cell counts exceed 100,000 cells per milliliter (cells/ml), at which point the swimming beaches in exceedance will be resampled on a biweekly basis until the counts fall below 100,000 cells/ml:

IDEM Sampling Results - High Cell Count Recreation Alert

Hardy Lake State Recreation Area

Patoka Lake - Newton-Stewart State Recreation Area

Brookville Lake - Mounds State Recreation Area

Brookville Lake - Quakertown State Recreation Area

Cecil M. Harden Lake (Raccoon Lake) - Raccoon State Recreation Area

Mississinewa Lake - Miami State Recreation Area

Potato Creek State Park - Worster Lake

Citizens Water Reservoir Update (Will Resume in August)

Citizens Water collects water samples for blue-green algae at Geist, Morse and Eagle Creek reservoirs on a weekly basis. The data collected at these lakes is collected to inform Citizens Water of the quality of the raw water for drinking water treatment purposes. These counts can be applied to recreational purposes as noted below. Only the reservoirs with high cell counts will be reported.

High Cell Count Alert for Recreation as of July 1st:

None

IDEM/IDNR Sampling Schedule

July 1st:

Hardy Lake State Recreation Area resample

July 8th:

Mississinewa Lake - Miami State Recreation Area resample

Potato Creek State Park - Worster Lake resample

July 15th:

Monroe Lake - Fairfax State Recreation Area

Monroe Lake - Paynetown State Recreation Area

Starve-Hollow State Recreation Area

Deam Lake State Recreation Area

Hardy Lake State Recreation Area

Lincoln State Park - Lake Lincoln (sampled by IDNR)

Patoka Lake - Newton-Stewart State Recreation Area (sampled by IDNR)

July 16th:

Cecil M. Harden Lake (Raccoon Lake) - Raccoon State Recreation Area

Whitewater Lake at Whitewater Memorial State Park

Brookville Lake - Mounds State Recreation Area

Brookville Lake - Quakertown State Recreation Area

July 22nd:

Mississinewa Lake - Miami State Recreation Area

Potato Creek State Park - Worster Lake

July 23rd:

Pokagon State Park - Lake James

Chain O’Lakes State Park - Sand Lake

Salamonie Lake - Lost Bridge West State Recreation Area

ISDH cautions Hoosiers of possible high levels of blue-green algae at many of Indiana's reservoirs and lakes. Swimmers and boaters should be careful in all recreational waters during this time of the year. Precautionary measures include avoiding contact with visible algae and swallowing water while swimming. Take a bath or shower with warm, soapy water after coming in contact with water in ponds and lakes, especially before preparing or consuming food. Pets and livestock should also not be allowed to swim in or drink untreated water from these sources. Exposure to blue-green algae during recreational activities such as swimming, wading, and water-skiing may lead to rashes, skin, eye irritation, and other uncomfortable effects such as nausea, stomach aches, and tingling in fingers and toes. If you should experience any symptoms after water recreational activities, please contact your doctor.

Livestock, pets and wild animals can be poisoned by the toxins produced by some algal blooms. Small animals can ingest a toxic dose quickly. Dogs are particularly susceptible to blue-green algae poisoning because the scum can attach to their coats and be swallowed during self-cleaning. Clinical signs of blue green algae poisoning in animals include vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, weakness, seizures and sudden death, especially in livestock. If you see a blue-green algae bloom in the water or where you visit, do not allow pets or livestock swim in or drink from areas where blooms are seen. If pets swim in scummy water, rinse them off with soap and water immediately to remove the toxin. Do not let them lick the algae off their fur. Direct livestock to water sources away from algal infected waters. If your animal shows any of the clinical signs listed above, contact your veterinarian immediately.

For protection of human health from cyanobacteria, the World Health Organization (WHO) uses a guideline level of greater than 100,000 cells/ml and microcystin toxin levels of 20 parts per billion (ppb) for a high risk health alert in recreational waters. Indiana uses 6 ppb of microcystin toxin as a warning level. The WHO has not set a guideline value for the cylindrospermopsin toxin. Indiana will use 5 ppb as a warning level, consistent with the state of Ohio recommendation. Toxin results will be posted if they meet those threshold numbers. Exact cell counts and toxin levels can be found in the Test Results section of the web site. Swimming areas will stay on the High Count Alert until the cell counts fall below 100,000.